Dichotomy
by KayLAC2
Summary: Being a hero or a villain aren't the only options available. The world isn't black and white, there exists a grey area which very few tread upon.
1. Prologue

_Hero. One word, four letters. Yet the meaning it held went way deeper than one would think._

_What is a hero? Someone who rescues those in distress? Someone who saves the world? Someone who sacrifices themselves for others? Or someone who is able to draw the line between evil and good?_

_But what is it that defines what is evil and what is good. Saving ones life is good, but if in doing so you doom a thousand others' will it still be good? If not, then can it be called evil?_

_And in a world where being a hero, quite literally, has become a profession, the meaning of the word "hero" has been rendered redundant._

"So I just can't bring myself to you that you can do it even without a quirk."

And with this one line, Izuku Midoriya's world came crashing down around him. He did not hear what else was being said, could not hear what was being said. The words just kept repeating in his head, echoing until it was the only thing he could think of. One sentence he had kept hearing his entire life, one that threatened to choke his dreams and ideals.

"You can't be a hero." voiced his mind a he fell to his knees, tears threatening to spill over. And suddenly, he felt at peace. He realised something at that moment which made his sniffing cease. A realisation that impacted their world more than anyone could have imagined at that moment.

Eyes grim with determination, Izuku Midoriya stood up and strode forward with a new perspective on life. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Meiji had decided to become a villain so that he could earn money to save his sister who was in critical conditi-**

**Author: "Oi. No one wants to hear your sob stories."**

**Meiji: "Huh?"**

**Author: "Don't you dare pull a cliche'd reason for becoming a villain on me. Its either money or global domination or decimating half the world's population! Overrated reasons, I tell ya. Now look at the Joker. An OG villain if I ever saw one, all he wanted was to have fun, not some shit like avenging his past."**

**Meiji: "Bu-"**

**Author: "No buts. Go back and cook up another rationale. And make it spicy."**

**Meiji: "But what about my characterization? Wouldn't something unfounded make me a superficial character?"**

**Author: *stares***

**Yeah, that was just me ranting with a figment of my imagination that was supposed to become an OC, but never mind that. Back to the main point, the previous chapter was an idea I got after reading way too many Villain!Deku stories. I wanted a fic where Izuku decides to take an anti-hero stance (definitely done by someone before) because while Villain!Deku is badass af, I find it harder to believe that someone so determined to become a hero would turn sides so drastically. All Izuku wanted was to help others, which led me to another train of thought.**

**"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter"**

**Also, a huge thanks to the five readers who followed/favorited my story. I probably wouldn't have continued if not for your response. *bows***

* * *

Izuku had made quite a name for himself. The villains were calling him "Midori," evidently due to his green hair. He frowned. That wouldn't do. Anything that would threaten his identity and safety, and by extension his mother's, needed to be erased. He needed to create a pseudonym for himself, one that couldn't be traced back to himself. And hide his hair, of course.

He'd thought about keeping the name "Deku," if only because of the irony it held, but decided against it for the sole reason that Kacch- no, Bakugou would be able to recognize him.

Thinking about Bakugou brought another frown to his face. That was a name which held nothing but bad memories for him, yet strangely enough, he couldn't bring himself to hate his once so called friend. Katsuki had opened his eyes to reality, showed him that people would never look at him but only at his quirk, or rather, his lack of one.

Being a minority, it honestly shouldn't be surprising that the Quirkless were looked down upon. Having a "worthless" or "villainous" quirk would mean you'd be mistreated, but being quirkless made it far far worse.

And that, was where all of Izuku's problems stemmed from. Sighing, he walked out of his room, not pausing to look back where he used to pretend being a hero like All Might.

"Where are you going?" Inko Midoriya inquired. She was concerned for her son who seemed to have developed a habit of going out for excursions lately. He termed it as "exploring," but she was worried of what her son might actually be doing. He was...more detached now. His habit of murmuring had lessened greatly and there was confidence in his demeanor, not that it was bad but along with it, it also felt as though he had distanced himself from her. He rarely ever spoke anymore. It was as if something had drained him of all his enthusiasm.

Izuku smiled innocently, "Just going out exploring, mom," and Inko felt her heart break. His smile, his adorable and lovable smile ceased to exist and was replaced by a fake. One that shattered her heart into a million pieces every time she glanced at it. "I see," she managed to blurt out, "be back before 10pm," she spoke as she kissed him on his forehead.

"Yes, mom." And Izuku departed. He had work to do.

* * *

Kakeru didn't know what to make of the boy they referred to as "Midori." Dressed in a simple black shirt with black trousers, the boy looked anything but menacing. One would mark him as cannon fodder if someone were to pass him by. But experience told Kakeru better than that. They boy was dangerous, more dangerous than he let on.

"Of course, if you don't wish for my help you are free to refuse," "Midori" said while fiddling with the mask that covered his face and hair, giving the picture of an insecure child trying to shirk away from company.

And the funny thing was, despite knowing his diffidence to be an act, Kakeru could not help himself from believing that it was the boy's natural character. Every action he made screamed "harmless" to him, whether it be his expression or the way he fidgeted. Yet Kakeru's instincts told him otherwise and over the years, he had learnt to trust his instincts.

This was not a person to be antagonised.

"Lead the way boy."


	3. Chapter 2

Kakeru stood and observed the hero who was patrolling around the bank. The boy's instructions echoed in his head as he took aim. _'Pretend you can shoot spikes from your left arm only.'_

And he did so. He shot a spike at the Petrifying Hero, taking him by surprise. But as the boy had predicted, the hero gracefully dodged the projectile, a feat nearly impossible for others. He continued shooting from his left hand, using his right arm to support the other instead of his usual style of shooting spikes simultaneously from both hands.

_"Since his quirk is activated by touch, he'll try to close the distance between you two. As a pro-hero, dodging other's attacks is his forte. At a long range, there's no way you can take him by surprise. The same isn't true for short ranges however. You'll have to beat him at his own game."_

And true to the boy's words, the first thing the hero did upon closing the distance between them was to reach out with his weapon. A baton crackling with electricity. Attempting to distract him with the baton, the hero used his other hand to touch Kakeru's left arm.

And succeeded. Kakeru's left arm slumped to his side and now left temporarily immobilized, prevented him from using his quirk.

Or so the Petrifying Hero thought. In a swift moment, a projectile coming out of the villain's right arm stabbed his hand.

_"He'll go for your left arm first, believing that by numbing it he'll be able to stop you from using your quirk. Take the moment he'll strike to incapacitate him."_

"Aggh!' The hero howled in pain, dropping his baton on the floor as he clutched his arm that had started bleeding profusely, forgetting the effects of his quirk. His ability to numb body parts by turning off electrical impulses that carry messages through nerves to the brain. Now left defenseless and crippled, the hero was surprisingly easy to knock out.

The voice of clapping filled the empty area as 'Midori' came into view, "Well done."

Kakeru had to admit, his instincts were right. The boy was dangerous. Everything went exactly as he had said, no lapses, no miscalculations. It made him wonder what his quirk could be. Future prediction of some sort, probably.

"You carried out my instructions perfectly," The boy claimed happily, like a child being given into his demands, "I'm glad. I was afraid you'd have to call in your...allies to save your hide had you done things differently."

A chill ran through Kakeru's spine. He never told the boy about his teammates. The boy just knew of them, the same way he'd known what his own quirk was.

The boy with the mask tilted his head, "So you aren't denying that they are with you. My, you should have informed me that you had men in the shadows, I wouldn't had have to think of plans to escape at a moment's notice believing that they were policemen, or worse, heroes undercover."

"Liar," The boy's head shot up when he heard that, "You said that this is the time the Stupefying Hero patrols here, no one else would be in sight. Not the other heroes nor the policemen. You knew full well that they were with me."

The boy stood still for a second, and then chuckled, "You are more observant than I pegged you to be, villain," He bowed, taking his leave, "Glad to be of help."

"And please, should other need my help, tell them to seek the aid of 'Kettei'," The boy melted into the night, his black attire blending against the dark sky. His departure left the villain and his entourage free to rob the bank, just much more easily and effortlessly than they had planned to.

* * *

Izuku had started his 'activities' around 2 months ago, taking 2-3 hours per day to gather information.

He had started with taking tours around the city, placing his attention not only on the quirks of people but also on the areas they lived in. It had been shocking, to say the least, when he discovered the...less savory parts of society. To think quirks with unlimited potential were wasting away on 'heroic deeds' when they could be used to alleviate poverty and more concerning problems.

Then again, he himself would have turned to heroics if he had a quirk.

Izuku loved analysing quirks, breaking them down and finding ways to exploit them. Until some time ago, he had only thought of their applications in hero fights, but upon seeing the ugly truth of society, he'd started to think of other ways to utilize them better. Some quirks essentially supplied a non extinguishable source of energy, one that could easily supply electricity to the poor.

It further infuriated him the most of the poor were the quirkless ones. Those who weren't born with the required genetic makeup were often castrated; bullied and abused. Their level of education as such was limited and hence, their income. And the worst part was that others didn't even know or care about this.

And it was like this that he was thinking while returning home when a voice called out to him, "Hello there, 'Kettei'. Tell me, would you be interested in joining the League of Villains?"

Izuku had told his mom that he'd be home by 10pm. So much for that promise.

* * *

**So here we see the name Izuku has chosen for himself. "Kettei", or 'determined' in Japanese according to google translate. Which I don't trust. at all.**  
**This was my first time writing an action scene. I think its probably too vague and confusing to understand. I tried.**

**Also, 'Kakeru' and 'Stupefying Hero' are just characters I made up to show how starts Izuku helps villains with his intelligence. I think someone else also did something similar, but the entire fight was something I made up by myself. In case you didn't get it, Kakeru's quirk was to shoot spikes out of his hands while Petrifying Hero could paralyse/petrify any part of the body by touching it. The sentences in italics were supposed to be parts of Izuku's advice that Kakeru was remembering.**

**Finally, a huge thanks to all those who followed and favorited this story. Legit can't express how happy it makes me to see others liking my work. **

**PS. Review and lemme know your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 3

Working with the villain league was...not what Izuku expected.

"Tomura," Izuku chided, "how many door knobs does this make?"

"hm?" the villainous leader looked up from his gaming console.

"I asked," Izuku properly enunciated his words, as if talking to a five year old, "How many door knobs have you disintegrated till now, Tomura?"

"That'd be the eleventh," Kurogiri piped up, the mist villain casually cleaning the glasses in the bar.

"You been keeping count?" Tomura grumbled, "Its not like it matters anyway."

Yep, definitely nothing like he'd thought. A moody angsty guy with severe anger management issues being a leader was the last thing he'd expected. So, who was the real leader here? If Tomura was actually the leader, the league would have fallen before its conception.

Kurogiri? Possible but unlikely. The calm and collected bartender was quite reticent. Yes, he was the only one who could oppose Tomura but then he didn't seem like the leading type either. And if he was the leader, one would expect Tomura to be more respecting to him at least. No, there was someone else behind the scenes who was pulling all the strings.

So far, Izuku wasn't really impressed. But first impressions could change. Taking out his notebook, he started writing his analysis of the quirks of the members he had already met. However, his thoughts steadily drifted to a discussion he had earlier today...

* * *

"UA?" His mom looked surprised, "Are you sure? I understand its not the hero course but-"

"Its fine, mom," Izuku intercepted, "Looks like not everyone can be a hero after all. I had to grow up someday." That smile again. "Besides, There's nothing wrong with the general course, maybe there'll be others who'll understand me there."

He had decided to apply to UA, just the General studies division instead of the hero one. So what if he was a villain? That didn't excuse ignoring his education. Yes, juggling between studies and villainous activities would be hard though he wasn't sure if he could label himself as an outright villain either.

His mom still looked upset, evidently blaming herself for his decisions. He hugged her, consoling her, "Its not your fault mom," he consoled, "I would have taken this decision either way. Being a hero isn't meant for me. Maybe I'll just do something else that ends up helping others."

But at his words, his mom instead started crying. He heard mumbles of "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," and hugged her tighter. She did not deserve this. She deserved to be happy, and Izuku could only curse himself.

* * *

Breaking out of his thoughts, he glanced down at his notes.

Tomura: Around 170cm tall, give or take a few centimeters. Immature, reckless but surprisingly sharp. Won't hesitate to kill; ruthless. Acting leader of the league.  
Quirk: Decay. Involuntary, requires all five fingers to activate. Excels in close combat but weak in long range.

There was a lot more he wanted to write but needed inspiration. Sighing, he closed his notebook and headed towards Shigaraki. He gave Izuku a look that said 'What?' as he sat down beside him, picking up the other control for the game. "Lets play. Multiplayer," he suggested and Tomura gave a non verbal agreement, curious to see what their newest recruit wanted.

"At least try!" Tomura yelled after his 8th consecutive win, "You aren't supposed to lose this easily, strategist."

Izuku merely grinned. Anger Shigaraki by losing or incur his wrath by winning? It wasn't much of a choice, was it? Unblinking, he added "short-tempered" to his notes.

"There, there," Izuku patted his back, "You shouldn't be so angry, you might end up bursting a vein." Using his notebook, he prevented Shigaraki from disintegrating the gaming console and shot a look at Kurogiri that said 'You owe me for this.' Tomura, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to burst. The other members of the league just stood in the background, too afraid of antagonizing their childish leader.

He knew the other members feared him as much as they feared Tomura. He had proved it when they doubted a quirkless filling their ranks, but thats a story for another day. Needless to say, they didn't dare go against Izuku unless they had a death wish.

"Kettei," Kurogiri interrupted, "I thought you had...other work to do,"

"Of course," Izuku replied in a sing-song voice, "But its more fun to tease others, don't you agree?"

At that, someone amongst the other members mumbled, "Not when the person in question could literally pulverize you."

Well, the league may not have been what Izuku expected, but it was sure as hell gonna be fun.


	5. Chapter 4

**A huge thanks to all those who review or followed or favorited the story! I find them to be great motivators to continue the story**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I do not own BNHA *_sigh_***

Shinso Hitoshi was one of Izuku's classmates in the Gen. Ed. course at U.A. One, who he realised, was very fun to annoy.

"You see, to be able to eat you need to open your mouth first."

Shinso glared at his newfound friend who had taken a penchant to irritate him at every opportunity possible. Knocking away the spoon which Izuku kept dangling in front of him, he took his own spoon and started to eat. "I can eat by myself." He continued glaring.

"Ooh, so you can even self reflect!" Izuku flashed his white teeth and Shinso nearly cracked his spoon in half. "then I should also let you know, glaring is't make to make me run away."

"Why the heck are you even sitting with me right now?" Shinso demanded, "The others give me a wide berth, why don't you?" His 'villainous' quirk was enough to keep others away from him. It was just the first week of school and everybody else avoided him as soon as they realised what his quirk was. Except this green haired boy, who instead decided to become the bane of his existence.

Izuku smiled. The boy had a pure heart, and it wasn't just his quirk that made others label him as a villain. It was his demeanor and outlook more than his quirk. Unkempt hair, dark circles and that 'I don't give a shit' expression gave him a look that villains would kill for. He knew that from firsthand experience. "Because I know more than anyone else whats its like to be isolated on the basis of your quirk."

Neither of them spoke a word for the entire lunch break after that.

* * *

The classes could be worse, Izuku supposed. They were examining the quirks of the students of the hero courses and considering various fields for their application. As possible future journalists or administrators in hero agencies, it was something they needed to be adept at.

"Who would it be best to use in covert operations?"

"Do you think Aoyama and Jiro's quirks could be used at concerts?

"What kind of advice would you give Todoroki to limit surrounding damage?"

And most important of all, it gave Midoriya free information on the students. He had planned to go around and observe their quirks to make notes but U.A. just handed it to him on a silver platter. Now all he needed was to take their personalities into account; their habits, their weaknesses and other psychological traits. He continued scribbling but then, on an impulse, he asked,

"Can't Kaminari's quirk provide the slums with an endless supply of electricity?"

All chattering in the classrooms ceased. Everyone turned to look at Izuku simultaneously. 'Idiot,' He chastised himself, 'I just had to attract attention to myself.'

Their teacher looked dumbfounded, "Pardon? What do you mean, slums?" He looked genuinely confused at the prospect.

"I mean the slums that exist in the outskirts of the city and are mainly inhabited by the quirkless." Not wanting to attract further attention, he took his books and excused himself. He saw Shinso give him a queer look as he passed by. Izuku replied with a look of his own which made Shinso shrink back. Midoriya's eyes carried anger and frustration which contrasted against his innocent countenance and expressed just how infuriated he was. _How could the heroes hope to save society when they didn't even know the ordeals the people faced?_

He just had to jinx it by thinking the class could be worse, didn't he?

* * *

Using the media to infiltrate the school was a good plan, Izuku admitted. He'd just have to hack into the school cameras to remove any trace they may leave behind. Furthermore, their plan was just to give the authorities a warning, a sign that the league existed and had the potential to be a threat to them.

An unexpectedly ingenious plan coming from Tomura. Except it wasn't, the one to conceive the plan was undoubtedly the one behind Tomura. It hadn't taken Midoriya long to find out about 'Sensei,' Tomura wasn't really good at keeping secrets and Kurogiri relented...with a little bit of blackmail. Though it meant losing his bar rights. Not that he had any in the first place, technically, but Kurogiri was a good sport and didn't hold a grudge. At least as far as Izuku knew, and he knew a lot.

It had been months since Izuku joined the league. He rarely made plans for them, but when he did, they **worked**. The members had quickly warmed up to him after they saw him in action. He still remembered the fight fondly, the moment when he shot his opponent with a gun with an innocent smile on his face. Not that he killed the villain, just incapacitated him. There was a line Midoriya had sworn never to cross and that included the act of murder. Manipulating others to do the deed? Yes, but committing the act himself? Never.

He glanced at the draft of the plan. The media would certainly be useful in this operation. He made a mental note to get acquainted with Present Mic and create as many connections to the media as possible. The media had a lot more power than he wanted to admit, and with the knowledge to back it up as well. Breaking free from his thoughts, Izuku reviewed the plan and pondered on the opportunities that emerged from it. The confusion created could be enough to let him access otherwise forbidden documents which could be very very beneficial for them. For this particular mission, he had to cause as much as chaos as he could. If the aspiring heroes couldn't control themselves in times of panic, then who would?

Izuku grinned evilly, accepting the plan. "I always wanted to write 'The League of Villains wuz here' on the walls of U.A."


	6. Chapter 5

Izuku had to be extremely careful. Even a slight mistake could end up revealing him to be in cahoots with the League of Villains and that wouldn't simply end with expulsion. Hacking wasn't as simple as it seemed, especially with Nezu being the one in charge and ensuring the security. Damn that rat for being super smart!

"What the hell are you doing?" Shinso asked, emotionless as usual.

"I'm looking up pranks to play on others," Izuku continued typing on his laptop, his bowl of ramen untouched, "Also, I know this is random, but how come you don't use your ability on me?" He lifted his eyes, directly meeting the purple ones of Shinso.

Shinso put his chopsticks on the tray and sat quietly for a few seconds. "What made you ask that?"

"Your primary motive to strike a conversation is to brainwash others. I don't know if you noticed that, but usually you stand quietly until it becomes awkward and I have to say something. That also implies your lack of friends and socializing...difficulties. For another, you tend to blink less when you're about to use your quirk. Its there, but barely noticeable and something I've never been the subject of in all the time I've spent in your presence. And last, I've been murmuring this entire time but you've been hanging on to every single word I said, not even commanding me to stop mumbling."

Shinso opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish. It just dawned upon the purple haired kid that he never tried to brainwash Izuku, not even once, despite his constant teasing. And it was at that moment he realised it.

"I don't want the one person who keeps me company to abandon me too."

Izuku smiled. "Well, doesn't that mean we're friend-"

The glaring sounds of the sirens interrupted Izuku mid-sentence. Perfect timing, he had just finished locking the security feeds in a loop. Someone would notice, definitely, but by then it'd be too late.

"Security level 3 has been breached," A voice announced, "Students, please promptly evacuate."

And there was complete pandemonium. It was nothing less than a stampede, with students running everywhere in a frenzy. In the background, Izuku heard someone say, "As expected of the pinnacle of education. Their crisis response was swift."

Like hell. These students were the future of their country? Those who couldn't even contain themselves in unexpected situations and lose their calm like bunch of flies when swatted. And to think many of them hoped to become heroes. How were they suppose to save others if they were busy panicking themselves?

Izuku, who was sitting with Shinso near the exit grabbed his hand ran towards the staff room. There was reason he chose to sit near the escape, after all. Shinso resisted at first, but then followed him along anyways.

"Where are we going?" the brainwasher asked as he gasped for breath.

"To the teachers. They should be able to control the students better than us." A blatant lie. This was only an excuse to gain access into the staff room. "You should check if the there are any teachers downstairs, I check the staff room."

"No. There could be villains here, it'll be easier for them to take us out if they catch us."

Izuku internally cursed. He had dragged Shinsou so that he'd have an alibi. Well, that plan just backfired on him, what could he do now? Well, on the bright side, the major chunk of this mission was in Tomura's hands. Which meant it'll make no difference even if he managed to get that extra information.

Pity, he could have gotten away with painting graffiti on the walls too.

* * *

"Shinso, do you hear that?" Izuku said in between gasps, panting as he came to a stop.

Hitoshi, less exhausted than Izuku but still breathing hard replied, "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. That means someone managed to get the students under control, there's no need to fetch the teachers in that case."

Shinso exhaled deeply and bent forward, placing his hands on his knees, "That's a relief. You alright?"

"Yeah, just tired," Midoriya directly laid down on the floor, "Shit, I forgot my laptop in lunch room. You think you could fetch it for me? I'm just so tired." For the hundredth time, Izuku thanked the fact that Shinso was a mind controller and not a mind reader.

The green haired booy stood up as soon as Shinso was out of sight. He hoped he wasn't too late.

He knew the answer the moment he heard Tomura's voice in the staff room, "There, that's done. Let's move before anyone else discovers us."

Compromising his identity wasn't an option. Izuku knew that, but they would be able to recognize his voice anyway. He would have to approach this another way.

"Tomura." Izuku spoke, hiding outside the staff room, "This is 'Kettei'. My ability to move has been hindered at the moment, so stick to plan B but leave a sign that you were here, one that everyone would be able to see. Don't main or kill anyone for now though, it's imperative that U.A.'s security gets doubted.

Izuku heard Tomura grunt, "If that was all, I've already crumble the main gate to dust. Didn't you hear the security breach alarm?"

Tomura didn't doubt for a second that it was really Kettei. No one else knew that he was working as a spy in U.A. and the voice definitely matched, no matter how deep he tried to make himself sound. And he knew that Kettei knew that, "Why don't you show yourself?"

"Shut up, Tomura, you know my need for secrecy. In that case, leave right now. All I can do at this point is make it look like you weren't able to steal anything important. I should leave as well."

The last thing Tomura and kurogiri heard before moving into the wormhole was the sound of the footsteps of a boy running back.

* * *

"Kettei." Kurogiri passed a bottle to the young boy, covered in head to toe in black. The only thing visible of him were his bright green eyes, ones that wouldn't be expected to be seen in the face of a villain.

"Kurogiri." The boy acknowledged, "I trust you gathered the information I wanted?"

"Yes." The mist villain nodded, "Here are the complete details of the students of classes 1-A and 1-B. What are you gonna do with this?"

"hmm...some stuff, I guess. Could be useful for planning against them in the future. You never know what could turn out to be helpful."

Kurogiri narrowed his eyes. He knew the boy was far smarter than he let on. It was simply not possible for him to do something unreasonably. He already meant to do something to the aspiring heroes. "I'll give these if you take cleaning duty for the week."

"Oh come one," the green eyed boy sounded exasperated, "That's pure torture! Kurogiri keeps disintegrating something or the other! You can't expect me, an innocent child, to do stuff like that!"

"Do you want the information or not?"

"Fine, fine. I get it. Cleaning duty for the entire week, not counting today."

"Done. On another note, 'Sensei' wanted to meet you."

"Oh finally," Kettei stepped of his stool, "point me the direction and I'll be on my way." To this, Kurogiri simply stared at him. "I don't believe for a second that you don't know the location. Stop pretending boy, I caught you the last time you were spying on us."

Izuku chuckled, taking a pen drive from the mist villain, "See you later, Kurogiri.

"Right now, I have someone I _need_ to meet."

* * *

**Sorry for the late update, guys. I had exams. *goes crying in the corner knowing I'm gonna fail so bad***

**This chapter actually turned out very differently from what I'd planned, the Shinso and Izuku friendship moment was so absolutely random. But I liked it, and I think that's what matter most. Another thing is that I'm probably gonna end up rewriting this fic. At the moment, it's more of a compilation of the events I wanted in my story.**

**Anyways, the USj incident, which I _was_ gonna skip over and keep the same as the manga, is going to turn out to be very very different. Look forward to it. **

**And finally, a thanks to all those who read, reviewed or favorited this fic! Constructive criticism is appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 6

"Sensei, is it?" Izuku stepped into what seemed like a medical room. He sensed Kurogiri's warp gate behind him and turned to the person in question. With his face covered in a breathing mask attached to various wires and machines, the villainous leader cut a scary figure, emphasized by the shadows that covered him like a cloak. But that wasn't what made Izuku wary of him.

It was his presence.

It felt as if he was standing in front of a void, a black hole that consumed anything in front of it. An inexplicable fear threatened to seize him, nearly stopping his mind from working.

This man was by far the most dangerous he had met. Izuku looked around the room, considering his escape options in case things escalated, which tended to happen surprisingly often with him. No visible doors, emergency exits or even windows. Absolutely nothing. This man, Sensei, was definitely confident of his abilities.

Empty sockets could be seen where his eyes should have been. It was jarring but presented the possibility of a weakness he could take advantage of. Then again, there was no telling if he possessed a quirk that overcame his seeming blindness. He didn't have ears or a nose but the absence of those weren't much of a liability. What else, remove his ventilation tube? Plausible but Izuku got the feeling he'd be dead before he could even take a step. Moreover, he didn't even know how much that could hinder 'Sensei'. No, what Izuku needed right now was leverage.

A weird raspy sound broke the green head from his thoughts. It took him a moment to realise it was 'Sensei's' laugh.

And then another realisation hit him, "I just said all of that aloud, didn't I?" Izuku took a step back. He hadn't rambled subconsciously in ages but that was a mistake he'd only have made if he had a dropped his guard. Something he was doing the opposite of, incidentally. What the heck was this man's quirk?! If he was telepathic...

"Don't be afraid, little strategist. I only want to have a talk. You have many interesting idea up your sleeve, very helpful ones at that." His voice, despite sounding respectful, sent chills up Midoriya's spine. He barely suppressed the urge to run away from that...creature.

"Is it about the plan to attack the USJ?"

"That, and more. I didn't know what to make of you before but now I'm convinced. You are critical to changing our society. You see what others discard as unimportant or even fail to consider. You know where the cracks in our society are located and how to hit them, completely obliterating them in the process."

Izuku gulped, "So what do you want?"

"Wrong, boy. What do _you_ want? In return for your loyalty, I have decided to grant you a favor. I trust you understand the weight of my words?"

Oh, Izuku understood. He understood very well. This man wanted to tie him down to the league. Not as an ally but as a part of the league itself. Truly, the true leader of the villains was just as cruel as his smile. "And if I refuse?"

There was a pause. If Izuku's answer wasn't what the villain expected, it didn't show on his face.

"I hear you love your mother very much. Inko Midoriya, wasn't it? I wonder how much she truly knows about her son."

Izuku's blood ran cold. '_He knows, he knows, he knows_' was all that rang in his head. He slowly glanced at the masked man, trying his best to not let his fear show. Forget leverage, this man knew enough to make his life a living hell. He left no room for negotiation.

"So what can you offer me?" Deciding his best course of action was to comply, he hurriedly moved the topic away from his personal life. No point in asking how the villain knew, it would simply confirm his claims.

"A quirk."

A quirk. The word kept repeating in his head until it had lost all meaning.

Izuku couldn't process it. The implication of that one word was so vast, so unexpected. For his entire life, all he had ever wanted was a quirk. He had contemplated the possibilities before, being capable of telekinesis or pyrokinesis like his parents. The things he could with the ability to bend against the natural. He'd grown disillusioned with it, and that was why the lack of a quirk had hit him harder than it should have. Had he been offered this months ago, he'd have accepted it without hesitation.

So why was he hesitating now? Was it because he had given up on being a hero? or was it because possessing a quirk now would be too alien a concept, having lived in its absence for so long?

_Why_?

_**Why**_?

_**WHY**_? 

No. it was because he wanted to prove. He wanted to prove that quirkless isn't useless. He wanted to prove he was more than just a Deku. He wanted to prove he could rise above others by his own means.

"I-" Izuku's voice stopped dead in his throat. He covered his face with his hand, as if grieving. No, he was determined to not regret his decision. 'Kettei' was the name he had chosen for himself.

His eyes were as hard as stone when he answered, "It is a very tempting offer, but I'll have to refuse."

Once again, 'Sensei' flashed a cruel smile, for no other word could describe it better, "I can put this offer on hold-"

"No." Izuku felt 'Sensei' glare. Quite an achievement, considering all he had were empty sockets. "However, there is something else I would like."

For a few seconds, all that could be heard were Sensei's heavy breaths and the ringing sounds of the machines he was connected to. Taking that as an indication to continue, the green head spoke, "Information."

Midoriya had started out as an information broker. Dealing with information was familiar territory, for knowledge held power and knowledge was but a wall built by the bricks of information. He was about to open his mouth but that's when it happened.

Suddenly he felt something tighten around his neck and his knees gave out. He couldn't breathe, _couldn't breathe_. The enormous pressure that emanated from the villain's leader threatened to choke him. Gasping, he clutched his throat and met the empty sockets of the frightful man.

"And what kind of information would that be?" His voice was drawn out, purposefully slow that made it sound all the more sinister. There was no hint of anger. It was not required to stress his point. This was not a man who allowed someone to hold an upper hand against himself.

"Guhh," Gradually, the pressure he felt on his neck disappeared. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, he started, "I-information that would gr-grant m-me just as much power as a quirk would -huff- have." gasping between breaths, Izuku was not nearly as eloquent as he would have liked. But he had just been nearly strangled and the lack of oxygen was affecting him.

"Tell me about your quirk and the true purpose of your organization."

* * *

The moment Izuku stepped out of the warp gate, the members of the league backed away. Anyone with a brain could tell Kettei was in a foul mood and nothing good ever came out of an angry/annoyed Kettei.

"One glass of apple juice, Kurogiri." Izuku saw the other members of the league disappear at the speed of lightning as he tenderly touched his throat which still ached.

"You're still alive." Kurogiri remarked as he handed the boy a wineglass filled with apple juice. For all his criminal activities, the mist villain refused to give alcohol to a minor. Izuku wasn't someone who relented easily but for the sake of knowledge, he accepted being deprived of drinking rights.

"I'm too valuable to lose for no reason, more like." His foul mood leaked out in his voice, "but I do not doubt I'll be disposed of if required. Especially now that I know more than I should."

All for One and One for All. Two sides of the same coin. Unfortunately not a reference to the three musketeers.

It was with great willpower that Midoriya suppressed the urge to break the wineglass in half. Not only had he learnt his identity had been compromised, along with the safety of his mother, he had also just negotiated with probably the most powerful man in the entirety of Japan. He felt like he had lost far more than he had earned. All because of one piece of information that All for one had undoubtedly let slip on purpose.

All Might had been **quirkless**. He had been **fucking quirkless**, he had been like _him_.

Izuku held his head in his hands. It was all too much to take in. Stockpile quirks. Multiple quirks. A quirk that could be passed on. The truth of how noumus were created. All for one was at least a hundred years old. All Might had been quirkless. _quirkless. quirkless._

"A glass of water, please." A female voice broke him out of his thoughts. He lifted his head to see a girl around his age place a cane against the table and place herself on the seat beside him. And as always, Izuku started analysing others as an escape mechanism. He'd despaired enough on the recent revelations already. A distraction was a nice and welcomed at the moment.

The girl had brown hair in a bob cut framing a roundish face. Her large and round eyes, the same color as her hair, seemed dejected. She was sitting beside him, unaware of what kind of a person Kettei was or what kind of a reputation he had. That could only mean, "new recruit?"

She looked at him, as if surprised by the fact that he was referring to her. She hesitated slightly before nodding, choosing not to speak.

Her clothes looked old and were frayed from the ends. Financial issues, maybe? or simply a runaway? Izuku's eyes trailed to her right leg which was covered in a cast. Unlikely to be a runaway then, tough to escape with a handicap like this if people were looking for her. Being an orphan was also a probability though.

She must have had a powerful quirk if the league accepted her despite the injury. He found nothing that spoke of a physical quirk, except pads on her hands which indicated more towards an emitter type quirk. Or they just took her in as cannon fodder for the upcoming raid.

"Are you staring at me?" She shifted uneasily in her seat, taking her glass from the counter.

Midoriya was thankful his mask covered his blush. "N-No! I mean, I am, but not like that, I mean-" Shit, this was embarrassing! Why did it have to be a girl?

"Pfft," She let out a laugh, "It's okay. Usually people are a lot less obvious about it but I look ragged, I know. The past few days haven't been good to me, unfortunately." She swirled the contents of her glass.

"Why did you become a villain?"

Once again she looked surprised. But it wasn't his bluntness that made her react. It was the word 'Villain,' which she mouthed in horror, as if coming to terms with reality.

"I-I-"

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. We all have our circumstances, it's understandable."

"**I am not a villain**!" She exclaimed. There were traces of tears in her eyes. "I just need the money..."

So it was financial issues. Should have known. However, that was a adverse reaction, even for a girl that young. Now if it were an aspiring hero who had turned villainous like him...

His eyes fell on her leg wound in a cast. She wanted to be a hero, but couldn't. And there were so many others like that who took the path of villainy in desperation.

He listened as she spoke, crying, narrating the story of how she wanted to become a hero for the sake of her parents who suffered in poverty. The zero pointer, a colossal robot, had fallen on her during the UA exam, injuring her. Recovery girl had tried to heal her but all she could do was prevent the injury from being permanent. Her family had barely gotten to eat in the last few days and in desperation, she ended up here.

'Surprisingly honest and open,' Izuku filed away that tidbit of information on her. He sighed as he finished his juice and placed the wineglass back on the counter.

"What about you?" She cast a sideways glance, "Why did you choose to be a villain?"

At that, Izuku let out a grim laugh. "Like you, Miss Uraraka, not many of us choose to be villains. We are just the victims of circumstances. It's not much of a choice when its the only option left." He almost missed her expression. There was a tinge of surprise and sympathy mixed with outrage.

"Nice meeting you, miss." Izuku stood, heading towards home.

It had been a long and exhausting day.


	8. Chapter 7

Watching his so called friends laughing together maniacally over machines and blueprints, Shinso was sure of it.

The world was about to come to a premature end. Nothing good could possibly come out of the unholy friendship of one Mei Hatsume and Izuku Midoriya. To think the same boy who became a nervous wreck and stammered like a malfunctioning tube-light in front of a girl would be so readily chatting with one. Then again, his passion for quirks and technology surpassed his shyness of girls.

"Yes, but imagine if it was someone like Kamikiri, all it'd take would be one move to manifest a blade and cut the net. Or someone like Sato could use brute strength to break out." After having compared which chemicals would cause the biggest explosion, they had proceeded to set half the classroom on fire and discussing a capture weapon Hatsume was working on.

"Exactly! See these extensions? They act like Chinese finger traps, meaning-"

"Meaning the more one moves, the more the net will shrink and tighten!" Izuku slapped his forehead, "Genius! But what if its someone like Ashido? Even immobile, she can use her quirk to secrete acid and melt the net. Then what?"

"Izu-kun, Izu-kun," Hatsume chided, "who do you think is responsible for developing the hero students' costumes?"

ok, when the hell did they start to refer to each other on a first name basis?

"uhh, the support department?" The green head faltered, unsure of where this was going. Then it struck, "You guys used acid-resistant materials to create her costume!" His eyes shined like a five year old child being treated to an ice cream, "Oh tell me you still have some of the fabric left."

Hatsume merely grinned in reply. Clumping these two together was the perfect definition of an evil genius scientist. Midoriya being the evil genius and Hatsume the scientist. Shinso looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Power Loader with his face in his hands. He heard a mutter that suspiciously sounded like 'not again, I can't deal with any more explosions.'

"Holy crap, Shinso, this is amazing, I-" Izuku stopped short. "What the hell are you doing?"

Hitoshi, who currently had his face up against a wall replied, "It's called a face wall." His words were more muffled than he would have preferred but it got the point across.

"And why exactly are you face-walling?" The fact that Hatsume sounded genuinely curious made Shinso face-wall again.

"Because sometimes a face palm just isn't enough." He'd have almost missed Midoriya clamping his mouth shut to prevent himself from guffawing if not for the 'pfft' sound that escaped. That little shit, he was enjoying this, wasn't he?

* * *

"So in return for showing her how to hack into U.A.'s announcement system and speakers, Hatsume gave me explosives for every type of situation!" Izuku gushed out, "There's a flash grenade, smoke bombs, then one which sprays acid, one for nitrogen monoxide, that's laughing gas by the way," He pointed to one of the tools on his person which looked too much like a Pokemon ball than Shinso would have liked, "And even one for sleeping gas."

While Shinso considered the dangers of Midoriya possessing such combustible and deadly devices, there was something far more important that he wanted to talk to his sole friend about, "Hey, Midoriya,"

"Yeah?" He didn't want to ruin the green head's mood, but he hoped he wouldn't take it badly.

"What if I told you I manifested a new quirk?"

Izuku stopped in his tracks. A strange look, which Shinso couldn't put his finger on, marred his face, "Really? What is it?" There was a tinge of enthusiasm in his voice but it sounded so wrong coming from his mouth.

"It's strength based. I can't use it though, if I did, I'd probably end up breaking my bones so I need to work out to be able to use it properly."

"Strength based, huh," It was very slight, but Izuku was trembling, "Is it powerful?". Shit, this was worse than Hitoshi had expected. The two of them had become friends because they both were outcasts and the emergence of a quirk, a powerful one too, changed the equation.

Before Shinso could reply that yes, it was powerful but it didn't change anything -_not their friendship, not their pasts and definitely not the quirk discrimination both of them had been subject to_\- Midoriya cut him off.

"Of course it's powerful if simply using it is enough to break your bones. And you just manifested it recently?"

"Yes, but-"

"That's great, Shinso. I'm happy for you, I truly am." With those words, Izuku turned on his heel and left, cutting short their conversation. The very fact that he didn't ask rapid fire questions about his newly manifested quirk told Hitoshi that Midoriya wasn't in the mood to talk. His voice had sounded bittersweet, but that wasn't what caught Hitoshi off guard.

It was his expression.

Midoriya looked afraid. Genuinely afraid. The brainwasher had only seen such an expression on his face once, when Midoriya had first set his eyes on the class 1-A student with the explosion quirk. He'd responded to the boy with indifference later on, but that single moment was the only time he'd seen the green head so vulnerable.

He didn't know what had shaken the quirkless boy so much but he got the feeling it had more to do with the nature of his quirk rather than the fact that he had two quirks while Midoriya had none.

* * *

The dagger hit dead center of the dartboard in Izuku's room. He was angry and frustrated and there was nothing he could do in the goddamn world about it.

So the recent revelations weren't enough and he just had to find out that the one person he could truly call his friend, the one person who hadn't treated him like dirt on the ground was the successor of One for All? Or just maybe, it was a coincidence and he'd _just_ managed to get a quirk, a strength based one at an age where quirks _simply didn't manifest_ and right when All Might came to U.A. looking for a successor, the same school which he _just_ happened to attend.

Oh who was he kidding. of course it was One for All his friend possessed. The world simply hated him, didn't it?

This changed things. A lot. The symbol of hope was a powerful title, so powerful that it was overwhelming. And now the torch was passed on to Shinso, a young boy who knew the downsides of society just as well as Izuku did. Just as well as All Might was supposed to.

Izuku twirled another dagger in his hand and flung it. The moment it left his hand, he knew that he was going to miss with the same certainty he knew Shinso was the new holder of One for All.

It landed right below the board, on the only poster he had of All Might left. He'd disposed of all his All Might merch, except that one poster which was now ruined, with a dagger jutting out of where the number one hero's right eye was. Sighing, Izuku discarded even that.

It took an entire year for him to get all that hero worship out of his system. Glancing at his now completely-empty-of-hero-merchandise room, he took out the files he had on the U.A. students about to leave for USJ in two days. There was a lot of planning to do and not much time left. How the times had changed. The same person who obsessed over heroes and always dreamt of becoming one was now planning their destruction.

He reviewed what he knew. 20 students of Class 1-A along with three pro-heroes, namely All Might, Eraserhead, and Thirteen. Thirteen, being a rescue hero, wouldn't pose much of a problem. She was too unfamiliar with the offensive application of her quirk to be one. Eraserhead on the other hand...

That man was well versed in martial arts and hand to hand combat. His capture weapon was nothing to scoff at either. In fact, Izuku felt a sort of kinship from the man. In essence, He too fought quirkless. The best strategy would be to pit himself against the hero but Izuku could not risk blowing his cover. Not so soon, at least. No, instead it would be better to overwhelm the underground hero with numbers.

As for All Might, the noumu should be enough to keep him occupied. Besides, if he indeed did pass on his quirk, he'd have weakened even further. However, no plan is perfect and in case that fails, he'd have to tell Tomura to keep a hostage. The boy Mineta would work. His quirk was useful in trapping others but from what Izuku had observed, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and the most likely to panic in a villain attack. Taking advantage of that should be easy.

U.A. was highly selective and only the best of the best got in. Ironic, since Mineta was apparently a pervert, the worst kind of trash. Uraraka deserved to be there more than he did. Anyways, that left 19 students to be dealt with. Now this was the tricky part.

USJ was divided into six zones, each meant for an unforeseen event. Flood, landslide, fire, mountain, ruins and downpour. Most of the UA students' quirks could be countered by teleporting them to one of these zones. Most of them. Looking at their profiles he knew there'd be exceptions.

Meaning, Kurogiri would have to teleport them one-by-one to the specific zones according to their weakness. An arduous task he'd no doubt be reluctant to perform. So it was a good thing Kurogiri owed Izuku a favor.

Then there were many more things Izuku had to take into account. Hagakure, the invisible girl could easily slip past their notice and he couldn't send someone like Uraraka lest she be recognized by one of the students who took the exams with her. Sighing, Izuku pulled off the two daggers from his wall and put them back in a drawer where his other weapons lied. It was not a huge collection but it had variety.

Izuku closed his drawer with a huge 'thump' as he heard footsteps approaching. He had just finished hiding the papers on his desk when the door opened and his mom stepped in.

"Izuku, is Shinso-kun going to come over for dinner today as well?" She asked with a smile bright enough to blind someone.

"...No," The reply was barely audible. He remembered the first time he invited the purple-headed boy over. His mom had burst into tears seeing as her son had finally called over a friend.

"I see. Then its just gonna be the two of us," His mother smiled again, "I'll be done with dinner in fifteen minutes or so. Come downstairs by then." She closed the door and Izuku could faintly hear the sound of her steps retreating.

_Its almost time for dinner, huh_. Izuku looked at where he hid his notes, files and weapons. An idea struck him and he knew what he was going to do the next day.

It was time to pay a certain detective a visit.

* * *

**Hope y'all are liking the content so far. Honestly, reviews are great motivators for writing. I mean, I got like two reviews on the last chapter and that made me spit out another chapter in a week. A week when the chapter before the last one had been uploaded more than half a year ago. So yeah, do read and review, they mean a lot to writers and tell me if I'm doing a good job or not. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well.**

**Some drastic changes I've included are Uraraka being a prat of the league and Shinso getting OFA. The impact of these changes, along with the main one of Izuku being a villain is gonna show up soon. Also, wondering if somebody noticed, I distinctly stated that there were 20 students in class 1-A. Considering that Izuku and Ochaco are no longer a part of the class, who do you think the other two students are? Or who do you think it should be because I don't know myself.**

**The backstory of how Shinso got OFA will be revealed in later chapters, along with Izuku's first attempt at villainy and the reason why many of the league fear him so much. I have a lot of things planned out, it simply doesn't come out as well in writing. *Goes to cry in a corner* English isn't my first or even my second language which is why I kinda struggle with it. So let me know if there are mistakes. **

**Look forward to the next update! And Thank You for reading.**


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